Salem. Oswin recalled its dry, intense heat well enough from her last visit and, in the same line of thought; she recalled her sister’s advice. The world was blanketed by nightfall when she climbed from the churning saltwater and onto the fine, warm-sand beach of the desert island. At her back was Crossing Isle, somewhere faded away on the horizon, nothing more than a looming speck of black. Her limbs ached from use as she’d fought the sea to swim, but her flesh was cooled in the gentler temperature of the desert swallowed up by the night.

Oswin lifted her head, glancing briefly toward the moon hanging in the sky, casting a gentle halo of light over the sand dunes. Now that she was not here in mid-day with the heat blistering against her unaccustomed body, she could appreciate this land’s beauty. Oswin wondered (and hoped) her sister was still here, for she missed her terribly. Sworn to secrecy, she could not say why she had left the islands, but she hoped Nova would not fault her for her absence.

Trailing the familiar walk toward the oasis where she had last seen Nova, Oswin kept herself on guard for any others, constantly scanning, listening, and drinking in the scents of Salem. The sight of a figure nearby – wrong build to be her sister – drew her to a halt. Oswin rumbled a low whinny, encouraging them to understand she was not meant to be an aggressive intruder, and decided to respectfully offer them the chance to approach her rather than walking further into their home uninvited.

But the light of the moon betrayed who she was looking at, and when it cast its glow against his body, Oswin immediately tensed. Both ears turning back, Oswin’s tail cracked at her haunches and she lifted a fore hoof, planting it firmly into the sand to further accentuate her irritability at the sight of him (though the impact was muffled). Her body still bore a faint scar from their last encounter. She would not tuck tail and run, not without knowing whether or not Vita Nova still lived here, and because it wasn’t who Oswin was as an individual. He’d bested her before, but if he wanted another fight, Oswin would be more than happy to give him one.

“Where’s Vita Nova?” She spoke in a loud, firm voice as soon as he would be near enough to hear her. “I’ve come looking for my sister.”